Reducing barriers to mental health treatment

Growing up in rural Iowa, mental health struggles were not something we spoke about openly or took seriously in any way. Most of my time outside school was spent working or playing sports, and there was never any time to address mental health — there was always something “more important” that needed to be taken care of.

It was especially unheard of at the time to think that a mental illness could be just as disabling as a physical injury.

I have struggled with suicidal thoughts since I was 9 years old and went without any sort of professional care or treatment for over two decades. From my experience, I know that professional intervention can have life-changing results, and one of my priorities as a legislator has always been to ensure those su ering from mental illnesses are able to access care that is as high quality as it is a ordable.

To further this goal, I was a prime sponsor of SB154 in 2021, which established a 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline in Colorado to coincide with the federal launch in July 2022. For these e orts, I had the honor of being named a legislative champion by Mental Health America.

But there is always more to be done in correcting the healthcare gap between mental and physical illnesses. HB23-1130 is a bill currently gaining traction in our state legislature that is looking to reduce the amount of time between a patient with a serious mental illness (SMIs) being prescribed personalized treatment and when they are able to a ord it and actually begin receiving this form of care. is delay is primarily caused by “step therapy,” which is a treatment approach used by health plans to keep medication costs low.

When a patient is prescribed a drug by their doctor, their health insurance provider or Medicaid will have them try lower-cost medications rst to determine if they will be

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e ective at treating the patient’s condition. If those treatments don’t work, the patient can “step up” to the potentially more expensive treatment originally recommended by their doctor. HB1130 recognizes the signi cant harm that a patient may experience as a result of this delay by seeking to limit its use when treating SMIs.

When HB1130 passed the House with an overwhelming majority vote and show of support from lawmakers with 39 representatives signing on as cosponsors, I knew I wanted to do everything in my power to ensure a similar result in the Senate. A rst “step” was signing on as a prime cosponsor.

e bill does not eliminate step therapy altogether, as it recognizes that insurers need to keep initial costs low to serve a greater number of patients. HB1130 remedies existing step therapy laws to allow patients with SMIs to try only one drug before they will receive insurance coverage for the prescribed drug. Additionally, HB1130 does not lessen step therapy requirements for all Coloradoans with a mental illness, and rather focuses on those with severe mental illnesses that are impacted the most by delays to the most e ective treatments.

As a lifelong advocate for behavioral health being accessible to all who need it, I am proud to be a prime co-sponsor for HB1130. is legislation is a leap forward in recognizing that mental illnesses can be as debilitating as physical illness, and require the same high-quality, a ordable, and individualized care as any other health condition.

Woodrow said while some communities have done an “exemplary” job at addressing a ordability, others have not and state intervention is required to stop the growing crisis where housing costs are at an all-time high and availability is at an all-time low.

“ is bill really does increase individual property rights,” Woodrow said. “If you are a property owner, you have the right to build an accessory dwelling unit and the government will not be able to prevent that. Some feel like we are taking away rights. We are adding to them. is bill will have some exibility, but it does set forth some minimum standards.”

Since the bill’s introduction, several Denver metro communities have passed resolutions to oppose the bill, including Westminster, Castle Rock, Lone Tree and Centennial. Other communities have said they may take similar votes.

At the center of the opposition is the plan for the state intervening in local development decisions, removing home rule authority. Home rule is a form or structure of governing dened by the citizens of a municipality or county that allows for more control over matters of local signi cance.

According to the proposed bill, municipalities will be required to submit land-use codes to the state. e state will review the proposed codes and if they are deemed insu cient, the state will impose its own codes.

Arapahoe County Commissioner Carrie Warren-Gully said the bill takes a one-size- ts-all approach and it will not work for all Colorado communities.

Woodrow said he disagrees, that the bill allows communities to develop and plan growth, but they have to meet minimum standards to avoid state intervention. He stressed the bill has tiers to address all populations, including suburban, urban and mountain towns.

“It is not a one-size- ts all,” he said. “ is only goes into e ect if a community refuses to adopt the (minimum) required standards. e only time you are a ected is if you decided to ignore it.” e reason the state is taking steps to intervene in local control is be- cause of the excessive use of “exclusionary zoning,” by some Colorado communities, Woodrow said. Exclusionary zoning laws place restrictions on the types of homes that can be built in a neighborhood. Oftentimes, these laws prohibit multifamily homes and set limits on building heights.

Rep. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, said SB23-213 is a misguided piece of legislation that does nothing more than declare war on single family home construction.

“It’s built on a faulty premise that everyone wants to live in high density housing,” she said.

Frizell said if the Democratic-led legislation wanted to adequately address the housing crisis, it would focus on the impact fees and permit fees that cities and towns are charging developers.

Pointing to Castle Rock as an example, Frizell said home prices have skyrocketed due to the costs home builders are having to pay local entities to build.

According to the fee sheet on the Town of Castle Rock website, a developer building a 2,000 square foot home can pay over $21,000 in impact fees, which includes a line item for parks and recreation, re protection, municipal facilities, police and transportation. at total does not include other required permit fees. e construction of a multifamily building is more than $17,000 per unit, according to the fee schedule.

In drafting the legislation, Moreno said the authors looked at what other states have done, speci cally naming California and Oregon, which have also implemented land-use codes.

Moreno said the steps taken by both the Democratic-led states would not t Colorado’s current and future needs.

“(SB23-213) is drafted to provided local options for municipalities to choose from,” he said. “ is sets goals and gives choices on how to meet those goals. It’s easy. If (municipalities) don’t then the state will step in. ere is a bit more choice than other states.”

In its early stages, Moreno said lawmakers have agreed not to immediately take votes on the proposed legislation, instead opting on April 6 to listening to debate, concerns and ideas.

Moreno said he has heard complaints that the bill does not address a ordability enough. e Adams County senator said amendments are likely as the bill moves through the process.

Moreno said the bill does address a ordability in the area of availability. Moreno said it increases stock, which means added supply will drive down home prices. e median price for a condo was around $400,000 in February.

According to a monthly report from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors, the median price for a singlefamily home in February was around $600,000, a more than 5% decline from the month before.

As amendments for better language, and clarifying information on water and infeasibility are already on the table, Rep. Mark Baisley, a District 4 Republican, which covers parts of Douglas County, Fremont County and Je erson County said he is “pleasantly surprised” that both Democrats and Republicans have expressed opposition to the bill’s current language.

Even with possible amendments coming to the bill, Baisley said it still wouldn’t work because the entire bill lacks “humility” and the only way to x it is to redo it completely.

No matter what concessions are made in areas of a ordability and language, Baisley said at the core of the bill is taking away home rule, which likely will not be eliminated. e state intervening just means more government, more state oversight and less local control, Baisley said. at aspect alone makes the bill unlikely to ever be successful.

Woodrow said it is sweeping legislation and can take time, noting that success will be gauged in 10 or 12 months. Instead, he said this bill addresses current needs while allowing Colorado to grow in a more strategic way.

Thu 4/20

Texas Hippie Coalition

@ 6pm Wild Goose Saloon, Parker

Creeping Death @ 6pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Sacred Reich @ 6pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Die Like Bothans: WP1313 presents

Jetboy @ 6pm

Herman's Hideaway, 1578 S Broadway, Denver

Rend Collective @ 6pm

Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd, Highlands Ranch

TJ Miller @ 6:30pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, En‐glewood

Fri 4/21

School Break Camp - 4/21 @ 6:30am / $45 Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr., Parker. 303-805-6315

Municipal Waste @ 6pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐ wood

Frank Reyes @ 9pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

Sat 4/22

Dear Marsha,: DM @ her Freaky Band @ Toleys @ 7pm Toley’s on the Creek, 16728 E Smoky Hill Rd Suite 11C, Centen‐nial

Mon 4/24

School Break Camp - 4/24 @ 6:30am / $45

Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr., Parker. 303-805-6315

Wed 4/26

Carcass @ 6pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

Barkin' Dog Duathlon @ 7am / $58.50-$72

4800 S Dayton, Englewood easy life w/ Support from SAIAH

@ 8pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

Tue 4/25

Dave Mensch - Tailgate Tavern - Parker, CO @ 5pm Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker

Ladies Night @ 5pm / $10 Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Fleming Mansion Walkthrough (about 45 days before event) @ 7pm Fleming Mansion, 1510 S. Grant St., Den‐ver. 720-913-0654

DJ Rockstar Aaron @ 7pm Bout Time Pub & Grub, 3580 S Platte River Dr A, Sheridan

Thu 4/27

The King Stan Band in Paradise @ 6pm Paradise Tavern, 9239 Park Mead‐ows Dr, Lone Tree

Vamonos Pest/Mobro: Vamonos Pest at Wide Open

Saloon @ 5:30pm

Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia

Rave On Productions: Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles

Experience @ 6:30pm

Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

Tony Medina Music: The Alley Open Mic Hosted By Tony Medina @ 5:30pm The Alley, 2420 W Main St, Little‐ton

Last Train To Juarez: The En‐glewood Tavern, South Broad‐way, Englewood, CO, USA w/ Special Guest Tom McElvain @ 5pm The Englewood Tavern, 4386 S Broadway, Englewood

Tom Mcelvain Music @ 5pm The Englewood Tavern, 4386 S Broadway, Englewood

Jamie Lissow @ 6:30pm Comedy Works South, 5345 Landmark Pl, Greenwood Village